“Supposedly, Apple was going to announce a new Apple TV at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June,” Amit Chowdhry writes for Forbes. “However, Apple reportedly held off on the Apple TV release in June due to concerns that it would constrain resources for the launch of iOS 9. There is speculation that Apple will unveil the new Apple TV device next month at the same event as the new iPhone announcement.”
“Some of the hardware improvements that are expected in the new Apple TV includes a faster A8 processor [dual-core variant] and additional flash storage,” Chowdhry writes. “But there are five rumors about the Apple TV that make it a highly anticipated streaming media device.”
5 major Apple TV leaks reveal radical overhaul:
1.) iOS 9 On Apple TV
2.) High-Tech Remote
3.) Siri Support
4.) App Store / Software Development Kit (SDK)
5.) Design Overhaul (thinner and wider than the current Apple TV)
Chowdhry writes, “Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal published an article about how Apple is planning to launch a new Internet TV service — which would be integrated into the new Apple TV. Apple’s upcoming Internet TV service would include about 25 channels such as CBS, FOX, ESPN and FX. However, it sounds like there have been some setbacks in the licensing process so Apple’s Internet TV may launch next year instead.”
All 5 points above discussed in detail in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Hopefully, the whole shebang gets announced at once and rumblings to a delay in the over-the-top Internet TV component are nothing more that negotiating tactics from the content owners and/or Apple. It certainly would make it easier to sell the devices with it’s intended complement of features – especially if it’s going to carry a retails price over US$99..
SEE ALSO:
Apple’s next-gen Apple TV to cost $149? – August 19, 2015
Will Apple TV kill cable? – August 19, 2015
Apple’s Internet TV: How many TV networks will make the cut? – August 18, 2015
The next-gen Apple TV’s marquee feature – August 18, 2015
What September’s new iOS 9-based Apple TV is likely to deliver – August 17, 2015
It will be the hub for home automation.
Hope it supports 4K!
Would be nice, but don’t count on it. Only 2% of US homes have a 4K TV. It would be more typical of Apple to release an HD-only version now, and then in 3 years when 40% of homes have 4K, release a new one and now everybody who bought the old HD one has to buy the 4K version to go with their new 4K TV.
Agree! I doubt it will support 4k unless Apple is planning on selling 4k content or providing 4k streaming content as a differentiator. 2%…I think that is doubtful. I suspect the number is less than 750,000 devices.
To paraphrase Dire Straits, “I want my 4K TV” !!!!
Plus, there are very few places where 4K could be reasonably downloaded/streamed and not have major lag times.
That doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Streaming doesn’t have to be real-time, after all. Select your movie, download the file, and stream it 15 minutes later to your big screen 4K TV That’s just about the amount of time it takes to pop the corn anyway.
What Apple CANNOT seem to do is deal with all the high-definition content that people have today. Apple promises it you can put all your stuff in the iCloud, but you really can’t. Local storage is more important than ever before if you enjoy large libraries of HD content (audio, video, or photo).
You never know. With the newer codecs, UHD versions of movies only need to be about double the size they are currently, and millions of people now have at least a 20-30mbps broadband connection which would support UHD progressive download (like how iTunes video rentals work now.)
Apple sometimes goes after mature markets, but also sometimes leads markets (USB, Retina display, multi-touch, etc.) If they did launch with 4K, they would have a significant competitive advantage over almost all the competition.
That leads me to the reason there aren’t many UHD sets in consumers’ hands: There isn’t much reason to one one yet because there isn’t much content out there. A UHD Apple TV could be a reason for millions to purchase UHD sets.
I’m not holding my breath, but there’s plenty of justification.
Even cable companies don’t yet support 4K (will they ever or just go the way of the Dodo before they can?) and Blu-Ray 4K boxes aren’t coming out until late fall, as rumoured anyway.
4K TV is to current HDTV as DVD-Audio / SACD was to standard music CDs. Both were technically significant improvements to audio quality. But they delivered only marginal improvements to the overall listening experience.
HDTV was a big jump from the tube. I’m not sure 4K represents as big a jump from HDTV. Time will tell.
I disagree, because when you look at 4K vs. 1080p in store displays, the difference is clear. Plus, 4K sets are coming down in price so much that they are not much more than a 1080p TV, and manufacturers can likely build in a little more profit margin on 4K models.
I agree that there is a significant difference between 1080p and 4k when you view it in store. When I’m in Best Buy or it’s ilk and I look at some amazing footage of a beautiful landscape or hyper real orchid I’m always amazed at 4k. Then I often catch a glimpse of a real person. It always gives me pause, because I’m not sure I want to know that they forgot to pluck a nose hair or need to have brushed their teeth better.
I liken the 4k argument to the photography world. Millions of hours of time is spent by a large group of aficionados in finding the sharpest lenses made for their cameras. All kinds of internet forums and expensive test rigs are employed to find the answer to what is the finest example of optics available. Why?… Because it’s measurable. Something us men are very concerned with.
However, if you took some of the most heralded fine art photos in the world. Put them through the tests of the aficionados, many would technically fail. Because it is about art, emotion, and story telling. Not resolution and technical specifications.
Technically I kind of geek out to 4k. I get it. In real life application though, I’m quite content with the slight veiled reduction of reality from 4k that 1080p brings. How magical is a magician if you took away the stage setting and moody lights, put a trick in perfect light and can see how the trick is done? Sometimes hyper real is just too much.
I am not a TV aficionado but when I saw 4K in the store I thought WOW! to myself. I could not believe the difference next to the others on display.
Connect apple watch with your apple tv, remotely control it. apple tv can play games, using apple watch as the controller. The possibilities are endless.
It would be cool if viewers could use the watch to make purchases. For example, let’s say an advertisement for a pet rock appears and the user decides to purchase it. Instead of calling the special number at the bottom of the screen and giving some random person credit card numbers, viewers could press a button on the watch and receive the product within four to six weeks.
Hey Amit from Forbes; Apple has never said a new Apple TV was going to be released or held up. It’s idiots like you at Forbes and elsewhere who dream this crap up.
Got to have recording and skipping capability or there is no reason to switch from HDDVR, which we currently have with DirecTV.
There were rumours previously of a “cloud DVR” where you do not have to schedule your recordings but instead can watch the channel’s line-up on-demand. I would hope there is some kind of DVR-esque features of the cable replacement they end up offering.
And NONE of those 5 will get me to buy it.
For me it comes down to what formats it will support (and how it will support them) and what content providers it will support.
Unless there are MAJOR upgrades in both of those aspects, I’ll pass — even if Apple sells it at $79.00 each.
I guess in this case The Shadow DOESN’T know. 🙂
I think games on Apple TV and apps will be a major enticement even though I’m not a gamer.
If you’re waiting for format supports I would think you’re wasting your time. I would not expect it to change from the current h.264 (mp4, m4v) support. Best case would be that with the App Store comes Plex (or equiv) which then opens up the ability to have content in other formats transcoded on the Plex Server.
This is huge…adding a new screen to the IOS ecosystem- It will enhance what kids can do with iPads, iPhones, and iPods- put games, communications, their pictures, music and video on in the living room. This is going to change the TV and home automation experience forever. They should just buy Disney and the possibilities are endless!
…and/or Sony and combine the Playstation with the Apple TV.
Sony has been brought up before as an acquisition…interesting opportunity given that is a hardware manufacturer and a movie studio with a significant catalog
As they are announced, I will be replacing all four AppleTVs in my home.
So where’s the “5 Major Apple TV Leaks”?
This is just crap that’s been said repeatedly before!
Welcome to MDN.
As usual.